Danielle Murray Dance 459 Response paper #3 As future professionals in the arts, we will face many choices in which

our honesty may be challenged. We will have the opportunity to lie, cheat, and steal in order to progress in our careers. However, I believe in an eternal scheme, it is important to remain honest in all our doings. Therefore, it is imperative for young artists to make the choice now to be honest in all things. If we choose now to be honest for the rest of our days, then the decision is already made when we face a choice to be dishonest or not. Elder David A. Bednar, of the quorum of the twelve apostles, stated in his address entitled, Honesty, that, the very fountain and foundation of our daily discipleship are integrity and honesty. The foundation of our daily discipleship is the most basic part of our everyday living. Therefore if we allow honesty to be our foundation, we will in Elder Bednars words, not only practice what [we] preach, [we will be] what [we] preach. An analogy came to my mind as I thought about why we have laws and why we should obey them. Laws are the foundation of the constitution of the United States of America. Therefore, if we keep the laws we are practicing what we preach; we are acting as Americans. If we chose to ignore the laws we are hypocrites. It is important for us to live up to what we claim to be. If we claim to be an artist who respects all artists and their unique creative ability, we must be willing to do so. This means we would not use music, choreography, or the art work of another artist without proper permission. If we did, we would have no right to be protective of our own work.

Now, what would an honest artist do if the laws they were asked to abide became unjust? This is a situation I have recently pondered. I really did not have an answer for this question. However, I have learned some interesting points of view held by my classmates. One of the possible solutions to the problem was that we do not need to abide by the laws of the land when they become unjust. In those circumstances, we should follow the laws of the God rather than the laws of the land. That response seemed reasonable to me, except that our church preaches obedience and honor to the laws of the land. Would God really be happy with me sitting in prison? If keeping the laws of the land is a commandment in the church today, would I not be breaking the laws of God as I break the laws of the land? I feel that many of the choices we will make in regards to keeping the laws of copyright and others than pertain to the arts will be a daily choice. Elder Bednar counciled, may we seek and qualify for the enabling and strengthening power of the Saviors Atonement. I believe that as we follow his council we will qualify for the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives; thus enabling us to receive personal revelation daily. This direction from on high may serve as our foundation of daily discipleship as we seek to be honest with ourselves and our Heavenly Father.